Wire-reel



(No Model.)

0.H.PAUT. WIRE REEL.

No. 570,920. Patented NGV. l0. 1896.

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c; Y I" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. FAUT, OF PALESTINE, INDIANA.

WIRE-REEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,920, dated November10, 1896.

Application iiled March 20,1896. Serial No. 584.051. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, CHARLES H. FAUT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pal-l estine, in the county of Hancock and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Reels; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in reels for holding coilsofvwire during the operation of stringing said wire, in the making offences and gates, and in the construction of telegraph, telephone, andelectric-light lines.

The objects of the invention are, first,to provide-an adjustable holderthat can be contracted or expanded to suit the diameter ofdifferent-sized coils, and that can be expanded to make the coil tighton the reel as fast as it loosensup by the use of a part of the wire ofthe coil; second, to provide a brake mechanism whereby the paying-outspeed of the reel can be regulated, and, third, to provide a cheap anddurable wire-reel that will be simple in construction, easily andquickly adjusted, and that will save the annoyance and expense resultingfrom the tangling together of the wires heretoforeexperienced,especially where the progress of the work has carried theworkmen to a considerable distance from the reel.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in whiche- Figure lis a top or plan viewof my improved wire-reel, aportion of the ends of two of the base-armsbeing broken oif to save space in the drawings. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. Sis a horizontal section on theline 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a detail in vertical section on the line4 4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig.2.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews of the drawings.

The base of the machine consists of two bars A and A', which are crossedin the middle and mortised half-way through the thickness of each arm tolet the faces of the bars stand flush with each other when completed.

`The bars will preferably be of wood. The bar A will have the un derplate a, reaching across the joint and screwed or bolted at each end tothe arms of the bar. The bar A has the plate a', crossing th'e joint andsecured to the upper face of the bar with screws or bolts. The plate awill be provided with an integral upwardly-projected sleeve or hub a2,as shown in Fig. 2.

The frame of the reel proper consists of two bars B and B', crossed inthe middle to form four arms, and mortised at their place of jointure inthe manner as described for the bars A and A. The joints arestrengthened by means of the plate b, bolted on top of the bar B, andbythe plate b', which is bolted to the under side of the bar B. Theplate b has the integral downwardly-proj ected sleeve or hub h2. Theplates a and a and b and b' are each provided with the marginal spurs mto prevent rotary movement of the plates on their respective bars, andenabling the plates to be held securely with less bolts or screws thancould be done without the spurs. The plate Z) and the hub b2 havecentral openings through which the sleeve a2 is projected. The hub b2 onthe plate b 'is long enough to hold the bars B and B a requisitedistance from the bars A and A and bears upon the plate a. The hub a2 isprovided with an opening large enough to allow the bolt C t0 be projected therethrough in the manner as shown in Fig. 2, and the under platea will be provided with an opening to receive the head of the bolt andprevent its turning when it is inserted therein. The Withdrawal of thebolt Cw'ill be prevented by providing a collar C',

which will be held at any desired point by means of a set-screw c.

The sleeve a2, it will be noticed in Fig. 2, is long enough to reach ashort distance above the plate Z9 on the bar Band allow ofthe in#sertion of a washe'r'c'y between the collar C `and the plateb; "By thisconstruction the roo and is provided with a wing bolt d, whereby it canbe locked at any position on the bolt O. The lower portion of the head Dis provided with a circumferential depression, bordered on each side bya square shoulder to prevent a collar E, which will be inserted in thesaid depression, from longitudinal movement on the head, but allowingfor rotary movement of the collar on said head. This collarE will be intwo parts to enable it to be placed on the head. It will be providedwith eight outwardly-projecting ears e, arranged in pairs in two seriesat right angles to each other, as shown in Fig. l. These ears form partsof the hinge connections between the collar E and bars E', as will bemore fully described hereinafter, and the two parts of the collar willbe held together by means of the bolts, which are used also ashinge-pins.

F are slides, one for each of the four arms of the reel, and havelongitudinally-reciproeating movement on said arms. They are placed nearthe outer ends of the arms and are controlled by the plates F', whichhave inside grooves to receive corresponding tongues on the slides andform ways for the slides. The inner ends of the slides are each providedwith apair of ears f to form hinges with the bars E. The bars E arehinged at their lower ends to the ears f and at their upper ends to theears e on the collar E, whereby when the head D is moved up and down onthe screw-threaded bolt the slides F will be given a correspondinglongitudinal movement on the bars B and B. The slides are provided withthe upwardly and outwardly curved fingers G, which preferably will beremovably secured to the said slides.

' The coil of wire to be handled on the reel will be placed on theslides F on the outside of the fingers, that is, around said fingers, asshown by the dotted lines in Fig. l. As the wire is used from the coiland the coil thereby becomes looser on the reel the slides F are runout, carrying the curved fingers with them until the coils are tightenedup again. For convenience in placing the coils on the reel over theoutwardly-hooked iingers the latter will be pivotally secured to enablethem to be rotated, so as to present the hooks inwardly or out of theway of the coil, after which they will be turned back into normalposition.

As the diameters of the coils of wire vary frequently it is desirable tohave the fingers removably secured to the slides, so they can be takenout and placed in an adjoining position nearer to or farther from thecenter of the reel, as circumstances require. I have provided for thisby making a series of holes f in the slides, shaped in such afashionthat hooks g on the ends of the fingers G can be inserted and withdrawnwhen the fingers are turned one hundred and eighty degrees out of theirnormal working position.

When the slides F are out, so as to give the coil of wire the requisitetension, the head D is locked by means of the set-screw, and to keep thereel from revolving too freely I have provided a brake, consisting of apair of friction-bars H, which are hinged together and to the plate a atone of their ends by the same bolt that fastens that end of the plate a'to its bar. The other ends of the frictionbars are drawntogether orseparatedfrom each other by means of a bolt H', having right and leftthreads and having a milled wheel held stationary by being mountedbetween the two ears h and placed between the two frictionbars, whereby,by properly rotating the milled wheel the friction-bars will be drawntogether or forced apart and by so doing will be drawn into or forcedout of Contact with the hub b2.

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, andwish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a reel for handling coils of wire, the combination, with arevolving frame consisting of a plurality of radial arms, of slideshavin-g outwardly-curved fingers and mounted on each of said arms nearthe outer ends of said arms, a pivotal bolt around which the armsrevolve, said bolt having a screw-threaded upper end, a head having ascrew-threaded opening therethrough and adapted to work on the threadedend of said bolt, a crank whereby said head will be rotated on the boltand bars connecting the head with the slides, substantially as describedand specified.

2. In a reel for handling coils of wire, the combination, with arevolving frame consisting of a plurality of radialA arms, of slideshaving fingers to engage the coil of wire, said slides being secured,one to each arm near the end of said arm and having adjustmentlongitudinally of said arm, and means for imparting lan equal andsimultaneous movement to all of said slides, substantially as describedand for the purposes specified.

3. In a wire-reel, a base consisting of two bars crossed at right anglesto form four equal arms and held together at the joint by outside platesof metal one of said plates having a hub projecting at right angles fromthe arms, a revolving reel-frame consisting of two bars crossed in likemanner and reinforced at the joint with metal plates, the inner of whichhas a projected hub to hold the reel-frame and base a suitable distanceapart and to give engagement for a friction-brake, a frictionbrakepivoted to the base and contacting with the hub, said hub and reel-framehaving an opening through which the hub extension from the base-frame isprojected, a bolt passing through the base-frame and the reel-frame andsecured by means of an adjustable collar said bolt having its outer endthreaded, a head having a screw-threaded opening therethrough andadapted to work on the threaded end of the bolt and having a crank bywhich the head will be rotated, slides having outwardly and upwardlycurved fingers, said slides being mounted on the outer ends of therevolving arms, and bars hinged at one end IOO IIO

to the head on the screw-bolt and at the other In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature end to the slides whereby the slides will be inpresence of two Witnesses. l given a simultaneous adjustmentlongitudinally of the said arms, al1 of said above-men- CHAS' H' FAUTtioned parts being combined and arranged Witnesses:

substantially as described and for the pur- JOSEPH A. MINTURN,

poses speeied. FRANK W. VVOERNER.

